News Releases from Region 05

EPA announces action plan to restore and protect Lake Huron

CHICAGO (April 6, 2018) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) for Lake Huron, a binational effort to restore and protect the Lake Huron ecosystem. The action plan identifies the actions needed to address the most serious environmental threats to Lake Huron and the St. Marys River.

"EPA is working with partners at all levels of government to fulfill our commitment to restoring the Great Lakes," said Region 5 Administrator and Great Lakes National Program Manager Cathy Stepp. "Today’s action plan will help restore the waters of Lake Huron that our local economies and communities depend on.”

The 2017-2021 Lake Huron LAMP provides an assessment of Lake Huron’s ecosystem, identifies environmental threats, sets priorities for research and monitoring and outlines further action by governments and the public.

The LAMP was developed by members of the Lake Huron Partnership, a collaborative team of natural resource managers led by the governments of the United States and Canada, in consultation with state and provincial governments, tribal governments, First Nations, Métis, municipal governments and watershed management agencies.

Overall, Lake Huron is in “fair” condition based on current science and monitoring results. Threats to the lake’s water quality and ecosystem health include chemical contaminants, invasive species and nutrient pollution. Over the next five years, the Partnership will work closely with watershed agencies, local governments, indigenous people and the public to implement actions to address these threats.

Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the United States and Canada committed to restore the waters of the Great Lakes and to issuing a LAMP for each Great Lake on a five-year cycle. For more information: https://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/lake-huron